It feels like yesterday the baseball regular season started. You wrote “I heart baseball” in permanent marker on your arm, then you met a girl who wrote “I heart guys who heart baseball” on her arm, then, during sex in September, you screamed out “I love you, Chris Davis!” and now you don’t have baseball or a girlfriend, unless your girlfriend was Bill James. C’mon, calendar, make like a soldier and turn to March. The only cure for the post-baseball season blues — recapping the preseason top twenty lists and being hand-fed Doritos. First up, Cool Ranch and our preseason Top 20 Catchers for 2012. It’s important to look back before we look ahead to 2013. To paraphrase the one and only B-Real, “How do you know where you’re at, if you don’t know where you’ve been? Understand where I’m coming from?” It wouldn’t be fair for me to preseason rank the players, then rank them again in the postseason based on my opinion, so these postseason top 20 lists are ranked according to our Fantasy Baseball Player Rater. It’s cold hard math, y’all! Anyway, here’s the top 20 catchers for 2012 fantasy baseball and how they compared to where I originally ranked them:

1. Buster Posey – Weird year for catchers. I really only left three catchers off from my top 20, if you count that I mentioned A.J. Pierzynski and Carlos Ruiz and said don’t draft them. Also, one of those catchers (Rosario) got a sleeper post by our fantasy football writer, Sky, and I was more than open with you about grabbing him. Only mentioning him just about every other day he played a home game. The rest of the guys, whether they were ranked or not, you knew about. It was a good year to be a veteran catcher. As for Posey, in his short career, he’s proven that he’s absolutely F-I-N-E as long as he stays healthy, this year he did it. May your Pablos stay fat and may your Poseys stay healthy. Amen. Preseason Rank #5, 2012 Projections: 65/20/75/.300, Final Numbers: 78/24/103/.336/1

2. Yadier Molina – About a week ago, Rudy was looking through my preseason rankings. This was the first time I think he looked through my rankings. He likes to look after the season to mock me. So, naturally, he thought it was hilarious that I didn’t even rank Yadier. I did; I just said don’t draft him. You can say what you want, but he was a $1 flyer at the end of drafts, and, even if you took the $1 flyer, you weren’t excited about it back in March. You had a counting stats guy. Turned out you had an every-stat guy. Insane year for Yadier. Career highs in every single category at the age of 30. This will be a recurring theme in our recap, this year catching was an older player’s game. Maybe it was that catchers’ fantasy offseason camp hosted by Carlton Fisk. Maybe all catchers are really cougars. I know the opposite is true. Hey now! Preseason Rank #19, 2012 Projections: 45/9/50/.280/5, Final Numbers: 65/22/76/.315/12

3. Joe Mauer – Wanna hear a stat that doesn’t seem right? This year was Mauer’s third year hitting double digit homers and his first since 2009 when he hit 28. Think it’s fair to say 28 homers was taking Mauer’s ceiling, knocking a hole through it, standing on your tippy-toes on the roof, reaching up and there were the 28 homers. Preseason Rank #7, 2012 Projections: 80/10/85/.310/3, Final Numbers: 81/10/85/.319/8

4. A.J. Pierzynski – 35 years old is the new 27 for catchers. “Hey, Mesoraco, come back to me when you’ve got 1200 games under your belt and you can’t crotch down because there’s no cartilage in your knees.” Maybe this whole year for catchers was perpetuated by Hollywood to generate buzz for Bull Durham II: Shooting the Bull. Crash and Nuke are player/co-managers standing around talking about how Susan Sarandon went commando-cougar and is dating a rookie 57 years her junior. Will be interesting to see if Tim Robbins signs on or if it’s too close to home. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 68/27/77/.278

5. Wilin Rosario – As previously mentioned aforementionedly, Wilin is the only young rookie to really make an impression this year. Hey, maybe he can hook up with Sarandon. I’m gonna be all about Wilin next year. To get it started, I’ve already told you how I’m gonna be all about him and then pointed out how I already mentioned it and now I’ve painted myself into a corner with this sentence where I can just keep mentioning how I mentioned my Wilin love or just stop abruptly. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 67/28/71/.271/4

6. Matt Wieters – Since I put very little weight on average (because of how fickle it is), Wieters will probably be ranked around 3rd again next year. Once again, he had a solid season and my favorite part of it is he raised his walk rate. He’s a fraction of a breakout away from a 30 homer, .280 season. Also, we’re deep enough into catchers to point out the obvious… There’s no 100 runs or 30 HRs catchers, and only one with 100 RBIs. If you don’t punt, you’re a fool. Preseason Rank #3, 2012 Projections: 80/24/85/.280, Final Numbers: 67/23/83/.249/3

7. Miguel Montero – His final stats are pretty close to where I had him in the preseason, but he ended up ranking a bit higher. Know why? Hint: Offense is down once again. Actually, that’s not a hint. That’s the whole shebang….Shebang! Shebang! Preseason Rank #8, 2012 Projections: 60/17/75/.270, Final Numbers: 65/15/88/.286

8. Carlos Ruiz – In the preseason rankings, I said I’m not going to rank Ruiz, but he’d be ranked #21. Then I belched. Sorry, I should’ve laid off the Welch’s and should have known he’d get new career highs across the board and have an insane BABIP at the age of 33. Riiiiiiight. Extra I’s aren’t because my keyboard got stuck. I’m trying to keep these recaps focused on what just happened rather than looking forward, but someone’s going to get burned on Ruiz next year. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 56/16/68/.325/4

9. Carlos Santana – Supernatural is officially all over the map for what he’s going to give you year-to-year. In 2011, his HR/FB% went up and his average went down. His HR/FB% wasn’t obscene in 2011, but this year it went down and his average went up to respectable levels. Maybe he’s the Prince Fielder of catchers, and next year he’ll hit 25+ homers again. The positive takeaways are he lowered his K-rate and upped his line drive rate. Some would say as long as he stays away from duets with Rob Thomas, it’s all positive. Preseason Rank #1, 2012 Projections: 80/25/90/.260/5, Final Numbers: 72/18/76/.252/3

10. Ryan Doumit – I know you stayed up night wondering what Doumit would give you if he ever got a full season of at-bats. You can sleep easy now; he’s barely a top ten catcher. Preseason Rank #16, 2012 Projections: 45/14/55/.260, Final Numbers: 56/18/75/.275

11. Jonathan Lucroy – Actually, had a decent year if you consider he played in only like 95 games. Actually II, This Is Actually The Sequel: He didn’t have a great year, but hit one team (Cubs) insanely well, and that’s all you need to get in the top 11 for catchers. Preseason Rank #18, 2012 Projections: 50/13/60/.260/3, Final Numbers: 46/12/58/.320/4

12. Mike Napoli – In the preseason, I dropped a Mike Napoli overrated post on you and told everyone to stay away unless you played in a league where you got extra points if the player’s mom had a nip slip. Nip Slip leagues aside, prescient isn’t just a word you need a dictionary to define. Also, to give you an idea of how weak catchers were/are/always will be, Napoli was ranked 15th a week ago. You hit a few homers over the last week and you can jump a Mordecai Brown handful of catchers. Preseason Rank #4, 2012 Projections: 60/25/70/.250/3, Final Numbers: 53/24/56/.227/1

13. Jarrod Saltalamacchia – Saltymochachino was one of the bright spots for the Red Sox this year, which is to say there were no bright spots when a catcher hitting in the .220’s is your bright spot. He finally made good on his power over a full season and also clearly illustrated what a 30%+ K-rate will do to your batting average. Preseason Rank #15, 2012 Projections: 45/15/60/.220, Final Numbers: 55/25/59/.222

14. Brian McCann – This year was the nail in the coffin for my McCann love. He can take his stupid contact lens/getting Lasik surgery twice a year/”I’m gonna wear goggles now” issues that seem to plague him every year and go find a fantasy baseball ‘pert that cares. Preseason Rank #2, 2012 Projections: 70/25/85/.275/3, Final Numbers: 44/20/67/.230/3

15. Jesus Montero – According to our Player Rater, he was valued at $11 in the preseason and he ended up giving you a negative two dollars’ worth of value. That means he was better off dead. Now give me two dollars! The scary thing is he wasn’t really that far off from the stats I thought he’d have. Yeah, catchers are an exciting position to recap. Preseason Rank #9, 2012 Projections: 55/17/70/.285, Final Numbers: 46/15/62/.260

16. Russell Martin – I don’t care about Russell Martin, you don’t care about Russell Martin, Alyssa Milano barely cares about Russell Martin, so I’ll keep this short… Scott Proctor thought he was abused by Joe Torre? Maybe 145 games at catcher wasn’t the best idea. Martin is about the oldest looking 29 year old I’ve ever seen. Aside from The Situation. Preseason Rank #17, 2012 Projections: 50/10/60/.240/9, Final Numbers: 50/21/53/.211/6

17. J.P. Arencibia – Almost exactly the same catcher he was in 2011 only this past year he battled injuries. But since his name stands for Just Punt, let’s look at what I got in a 12 team mixed league for catcher after punting. Usually, I advise you Ron Popeil your catcher slot to “Set It and Forget It” and not change your catcher. But this year I drafted Geovany Soto, and as this list shows, I couldn’t hold onto him. So I had Arencibia, Yasmani and Soto, losing all three of them to injuries, until I was able to Ron Popeil Pierzynski. Yes, catchers are so weak that the number four catcher in all of baseball was on waivers as late as July. 61/20/52/.227 in 440 ABs is what I pieced together with all my catchers. I also bring this up now because I basically Frankenstein’d my way to Arencibia’s stats. So, do you Set It and Forget It or do you struggle to piece together the 17th best catcher in a 12 team, one catcher league? Preseason Rank #12, 2012 Projections: 50/21/70/.235, Final Numbers: 45/18/56/.233/1

18. A.J. Ellis – Besides it being a good year to be old and have a career year, it was an excellent year to have initials as your first name. Too bad J.D. Salinger died, and couldn’t ever get in front of a breaking ball in the dirt. Preseason Unranked, Final Numbers: 44/13/52/.270

20. Salvador Perez – For accuracy sake, I told everyone to not draft him when it was announced he would miss three months with an injury, but he was originally ranked 14th overall. For what it’s Wuertz, Perez had a perfectly respectable half a season. Personally, literally, extra wordly, I’d want Perez more than some of the guys above in this list for when he was healthy. Now “for when he was healthy” has to get back to modifying Tulowitzki. Preseason Rank #14, 2012 Projections: 50/10/65/.280, Final Numbers: 38/11/39/.301

When you are ranking C for 2013, you should link to this post and your top 20 C for 2012 post. The two combine to present a very strong argument that drafting a C in the early rounds is almost like throwing away an early pick.

I for one drafted McCann at 73 in one RCL, and took over a team that had drafted Napoli at 52. Both were dead weight because their names prevented me from grabbing a hot schmotato like Rosario or AJ (either one). Eventually traded Steve McCann for Uggla, and I think we soon after dropped em (easier to do when you haven’t drafted the player- you’re like, “well, I only gave McCann for him, and McCann blows”). In my h2h, I streamed hot schmotatos, and was no worse off for it.

@royce!, Yeah, that’s a problem with drafting catchers high that I don’t often talk about… When you have a top 5 catcher, you’re inclined to hold him and could end up being totally screwed, worse than if you didn’t draft anyone for catcher… I thought for a second you wrote ‘Steve McCann’… Pretty cool name, used to drive like a madmen through the hills of San Fernando in Pullit…

Do you think Posey is worth 15 pts of a 226 overall keeper budget? I generally agree about catchers and was very glad I didn’t hold Santana last off-season when he would’ve cost me in the 20s, but Posey at that price seems like it’d be worth it… thoughts?

I don’t think much of them for 2013… Think about Jesus Montero and how everyone thought he was the next coming of, well, Jesus… If Arencibia is traded, then d’Arnaud will be a decent late game flyer in mixed leagues, maybe get 15+ homers and .280… Norris is a nice OBP/BA guy that will have a lower power ceiling than d’Arnaud, but will be ready definitely in April…

Really hard offseason trade..12 team H2H most categories with OPS added. It’s also an auction league, thoughts on this trade? We keep 16 soldiers. Just looking for overall value all positions well covered.

Are you going to follow the catchers post with pitchers…oh, zing….Is the lead in pitcher DICKie….oh, zing again….OK I’m ridickulous…oh….this needs to stop.

I think Rosario is a nice catcher, I’m just not completely sold on him. Here is where Jack Full of Realism comes to the party. “Hi Jack, welcome to the party”, Jack replies ” There are two people here and a half inflated blow up doll, this is more of a get together at best or a funeral for the single, 42 and still living with your mom crowd” . Back to the point. I think he has 30 HR pop, that is undeniable, but everything else is up for grabs, factoring in the sophmore slump and the chance he can be the Latin Napoli or in espanol, Napololiez. He can hit you .270 or .230, his difficulty hitting righties (.239) vs. lefties (.348) leaves a huge margin for error. Don’t get me wrong, I like the kid, but I would rather have Perez and his smooth .300 average and possible 20 hr pop over Willin for next year. In fact, I will bank on a sleeper article on Perez for next year, of course with the injury disclaimer attached to the article.

The guy that has me really confused is Doumit, true the change of scenery has its merit. I was waiting all year for some freak injury that would put him on the shelf for Spring, but it never happened. Are these the numbers we should expect? Can we expect more? I’m going to smoke a bunch of hash and ponder this question. Then if I can remember I wrote this then I will get back to you.

Ha… Nah, 1st basemen will be up next… Wilin is Latin Napoli, he could hit .235, and I think .270 is his ceiling, as you pointed out his splits aren’t great and that could lead to him being platooned, which would really hurt his value…. Perez will definitely be discussed, maybe a sleeper post… Yeah, this is my summer vacation, ha!

Summer is dedicated to my real career, yeah… I’m finishing up Boss On Demand after burning through a DVD set of it last weekend… Then I have Breaking Bad up next… Then Psyche, maybe… Boss wasn’t good, I wouldn’t recommend it…

Eh, I love reality shows, so some would say my taste is terrible… BTW, loving The Voice… Was bummed they didn’t show the grandfather’s battle though… I guess he does have the shirts, just didn’t tell me about it…

@Grey, If you appreciate the art, then the NY and LA Ink have some cool stuff. LA is kinda whack because the main charcter is probably the lamest most annoying person on TV. Hands down. I also watched because I have known some of the people on the shows and have had work done by them.

Ink masters is funny, cause some of these people suck and you watch them mess up tattoos on real people. Its actually entertaining because these are legit tattoos done in under a time limit. So people rush or are clueless with what to do.

I actually have a tattoo (I got mine with Rudy in college), but I’m not a huge fan of them, so I’ve never gone out of my way to watch the show… If the characters are good though, I’d watch anything…Not like I’m a huge fan of antiques, and I’ll watch a 3 hour block of American Pickers…

@Grey, Ink masters is on Spike, I think Monday nights and its entertaining in kinda whack ways.

I think it boils down to watching some people doing some amazing work when it comes to NY Ink and LA Ink. But if you don’t appreciate the art form then its not for you. I like to see good portrait work and I have seen more bad ones than good ones, so thats always a nice thing to see. Then reality show thing is all the drama they create and thats what might be your thing. I’m assuming mustache is a drama queen.

you said you had a meeting with cheedle, so how short is he in real life?

oh and what’s your tattoo of? is it the yankees logo? butterfly tramp stamp? and please don’t tell me you got it on your ankle

@Grey, We’d get highlights and stuff, but don’t remember anything live before that.

Funny – I don’t remember Hatcher at all (just had to look it up). The main thing I remember is Davis homering in his first WC at-bat and thinking how cool that was. I remember Sabo too – and Senor Smoke!

@Grey, Against any other team they probably would have been favourites. Just looked it up and the A’s won 103, games, Welch won 27, Stewart won 22 and of course they had Eck, Rickey, Canseco and McGwire…

He’s walking the line between uninspiring starter or high-risk, high-reward reliever… He doesn’t look nearly as dazzling as K-Rob, but he could have a season of it, I suppose, since these guys do come a bit out of nowhere…